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Book Review: Arrow of the Mist by Christina Mercer

Terror strikes the Celtic inspired kingdom of Nemetona when barbed roots breach the veil of a forbidden land and poison woodsmen, including 15-year-old Lia’s beloved father. Lia and three others embark on a quest to the forbidden land of Brume to gather ingredients for the cure. But after her elder kinsman is attacked and poisoned, she and her cousin, Wynn, are forced to finish the quest on their own.

Lia relies on her powerful herbal wisdom and the memorized pages of her late grandmother’s Grimoire for guidance through a land of soul-hungry shades, trickster creatures, and uncovered truths about the origin of Brume and her family’s unexpected ties to it.

Loved it. Arrow of the Mist is a fun read set in a magical land you get to discover alongside the strong female lead and her grumbling but lovable cousin.

When Lia’s home is attacked by strange roots that poison anyone they touch, she sets out with her close knit group to find a cure. It doesn’t take long though for the group of four to be struck down to two. Leaving just Lia and Wynn to traverse Brume and it’s mysteries alone.

The magic in this book is some of my favorite to date. It’s a mix of herblore, Celtic folklore and Mercer’s own imaginings making for a rich fantasy world with a believable feel.

It isn’t just the magic that sells the story though, I also really loved the characters. Lia is a great character in herself but her family members each have their own fleshed out personalities. It’s nice when even secondary characters have depth.

And what is a story without a crush worthy love interest? In this book that’s Kelven, and even though he doesn’t get much feature time in the book I still found him and Lia adorable. I look forward to the next book, it seems to feature Kelven and their relationship more. A chance to see more of the magical land of Brume will be fun, too.

I will say I felt the beginning of this book was a bit rushed. Ok, really rushed. There isn’t much set up to speak of. You just get introduced to Lia and BAM! she is off to a magical land looking for a way to save everyone. I would have liked a chance to get to know Lia, her family and her village/country more before diving right into the plot. Maybe see her interacting with the other village girls as well as Wynn and Kelven before calamity strikes.

But other than the rushed start this book was great and I recommend it.